In an apartment the VvE rules come first, because drains and floors are often shared with your neighbours.
What a bathroom renovation includes
A full bathroom renovation covers everything from the bare floor to the last bead of sealant. The trades go into one schedule, so each one starts when the previous one is done.
- Demolition: tiles, sanitary ware and, if needed, the floor screed. Materials from before 1994 can contain asbestos, so in an older home that is checked before demolition starts.
- Pipes and drains: new water pipes, drains with the right fall, and if possible a new spot for the shower or toilet.
- Waterproofing: a waterproof layer under the tiles in the shower area and on the floor. You will not see it afterwards, and it is the part not to economise on.
- Tiling, sanitary ware and ventilation: shower or bath, toilet, vanity unit and taps, plus extraction so moisture does not get into walls and ceilings.
- Electrics and heating: lighting, sockets at a safe distance from water, and a radiator or electric underfloor heating.
- A separate toilet can be renovated on its own, with the same steps on a smaller scale.
In an apartment: VvE consent, house rules and leaks
You need VvE consent as soon as the work touches shared parts, such as the drain stack or load-bearing parts of the floor. Replacing only tiles and fittings inside your own apartment usually does not need consent. Your splitsingsreglement, the building's deed of division, gives the final answer, and the huishoudelijk reglement (house rules) can add rules about noise and working times.
Waterproofing matters more in an apartment than in a house. A leak in your bathroom ends up in the ceiling of the neighbour below. The waterproof layer and the connections are tested before the tiles go on.
Floors are a common point in VvE rules. The 2017 model rules many buildings use say that hard floors such as tiles are not allowed without enough sound insulation, except in kitchens and sanitary rooms. Your building may use older or stricter rules, so read them before you choose a floor.
Old Amsterdam buildings: pipes, wooden floors and steep stairs
In homes built before 1945, lead water pipes were common, and homes built between 1945 and 1960 can still have them. The water company replaces pipes up to the meter; the pipes inside your home are the owner's responsibility. A bathroom renovation is a good moment to replace them. If the electrical earthing ran through a metal water pipe, a new earth wire is needed.
Many older buildings have wooden floor joists. Tiles and a walk-in shower need a stiff, waterproof base, which often has to be built up first. Rotten wood under an old shower only shows after demolition; ask for that risk to be named in the quote.
Amsterdam bathrooms are often small and upstairs, reached by a steep, narrow staircase without a lift. Rubble goes down and tiles, a shower tray or a bath go up by hand. At the survey the stairwell is measured, so a bath or a large shower screen actually fits.
What decides the price of your bathroom
Every bathroom is custom work, so we do not publish a standard price. You get an itemised quote after the survey. For national guide prices, see renovation costs in the Netherlands.
Small bathrooms cost relatively more per m², because demolition, pipework and waterproofing are needed regardless of the size. On VAT (btw): installing and tiling a bathroom falls under the standard 21% rate. The reduced 9% rate only covers insulating, painting, plastering and wallpapering homes older than 2 years. A quote for a bathroom can therefore contain both rates.
- Whether the shower, toilet or basin stays in place or moves
- The state of the floor: concrete, or wooden joists that need building up
- Old pipes that need replacing, including lead pipes
- Asbestos in older materials
- Your choice of tiles, sanitary ware and underfloor heating
- Access: floor level, stairs and space for a skip
Planning, noise and living at home during the work
A complete bathroom renovation takes two to three weeks on average. Drying times of the screed and waterproofing are part of that. After the survey you get a day-by-day schedule, so you know how long you are without a shower.
Under the national building rules (Bbl, article 7.17), commercial construction and demolition work is only allowed on working days and Saturdays between 7:00 and 19:00. Outside those hours the City of Amsterdam requires a noise exemption. Noisy demolition usually takes only the first days; tell your neighbours in advance.
For a skip, a free notification is often enough: at least 48 hours ahead, on the pavement or in at most two parking spaces. In the Centrum district and on quays and bridges you need an object permit, applied for at least 7 working days ahead.
Your own tiles and fittings, and working in English
Who supplies the tiles and sanitary ware, and who is responsible for them, you agree per project; it is set out in the quote. If you buy them yourself, check sizes and connections before you order, so the toilet fits the drain and the shower tray fits the floor. Raise it during the site visit.
Say so in your request. Whether the paperwork can be in English depends on the contractor, so check before signing. Letters from the City and VvE documents are usually in Dutch.